How old should children be before we have a garden pond?

Kimberley

There shouldn't be any bad feeling on here, why do most threads create arguments? I know thousands or so are members and hundreds of those members post all the time, but surely we can have our opinions without all this :rolleyes:

My opinion is that all ponds should be filled in where there are children. Your children are more important then frogs etc and a pond, well they should be anyway.

Maybe the OP should have put this thread on the discussion board, this board is supposed to be about money saving. You can't see people through their computer screens, i can't see how anyone can argue with a screen

Peakma

Personally I would be inclined to keep it.We had a stream with a pond like part dug out in the middle running through our garden when we were kids,there were five of us.That part of the garden was fenced off and we were only aloud near when an adult was around.My parents still live there and my kids poke around in it.Maybe you could fence yours off,or like others have said have a strong cover made.Ponds attract so much wildlife which is beneficial for your children to observe.If you do decide to get rid,maybe it would be possible to wait till the taddies are little frogs,or maybe you could freecycle them!
As a mother of three I under stand kids must be kept safe, obviously ponds are a hazard,but so are so many other things,from eating grapes to falling down the stairs.Personally I do think health and safety regarding children has gone a bit too far.When I was a child there was a fantastic slide built into the hill- been there long before my parents day(forge dam,Sheffield,anyone been?)it was steep fast and fantastic we'd go up and down untill we were worn out.I heard the other day it has been removed recently as it is too dangerous.Such a shame,been there for so long and I've never heard of any serious injuries resulting from it.I do remember clearly going down on my coat on my front,flying right off the end,banging my chin badly and feeling a bit silly!! But I only did that once,and learnt not to do it again.Although it is painful to watch kids do such things,I personally think it is important to let kids experience danger to a small degree(I don't mean stand back and let things like this happen,and I don't mean don't watch them at all,what I mean is in the long run little accidents like this can actually teach them to avoid bigger accidents,does that make sense at all?)
I realise a pond is different,but the kids of op are quite old 4 and 6 it's not like they are toddlers.
Back to public playgrounds,round abouts seem to be becoming a rarity, and remember those big rocking horses with severel seats on ,I was so pleased to see one in a park I'd never visited before,ran over to have a go with my daughter,only to find it was static,and had been restrained from rocking!! I was gutted,my little girl climbed up anyway,but slipped off as it was damp and hurt herself minimally, so it was still a bit dangerous,but had had all the fun taken from it, they were great and when they really got going you could really ride them,and the fear was half the fun!And I do remember going behind one as a kid and getting banged into full force,and yes it really hurt,but again I only did it once!! And who knows perhaps this little incident ,taught me a lesson,not to stand in such places where there is this sort of danger or worse e.g reversing car.
Children are precious and irreplaceable,they need protection and guidance,but the way some kids are completely wrapped in cotton wool,I don't think is good for their overall well being and confidence.
Op,do what ever makes you most comfortable,if you cant relax and are in fear of your kids safety,maybe you should try to re-home creatures and drain,but if the thought of doing this seems like a bit of a shame,and you think you and the kids will miss it,maybe you could make it as safe as possible,and explain the dangers to your kids.

seven-day-weekend

We had a pond when our son was small (still have) - when he was young we put a metre high fence round it with a lockable gate. There was no way he could get in.

We all loved seeing the tadpoles and little frogs, and dragonfly larvae crawling out of the water up a reed and turning into dragonflies.

Is a fence an option?

raq

Get rid of the thing. So many stories with children. I agree with the lady, what if the door ring or the phone.

I also can't believe one of the husband's wouldn't even cover the pond...

Bettyboop

Hi, my father grew up abroad and they had a huge house, acres of gardens and a pond (not that big). My father had a sister her name was Cyntia and she drowned in it. She was only 5 at the time. I have never forgotten what father told me. I don't have a pond in my 1m x 1m garden but I'm still teaching my 3year old to swim early and would hope if anything happened that she didn't drown anywhere.

Hope you make the right choice. I would have thought with the pond that if you have a very high and sturdy fence around it that it might be okay....?

quietheart

Hadn't thought of a fence, it's in a raised rockery at the end of the garden so a fence would be a pretty good option. Thanks for that!
And by the way my husband wants them to experience the nature it brings, I didn't say he wouldn't cover the pond .

Kimberley

Well those who say keep the pond, what would be your response if a child were to drown in it :rolleyes: Fence or no fence a child will somehow manage to get to it. It's your pond do as you wish, but think which is the most important to you, the pond or your kids :rolleyes:

sticher

Great post PEAKMA and some very well balanced comments.

Kimberley, I don't know if you have children or not but you just cannot keep children away from every possible perceived danger and expect them to grow up healthy and well balanced.

Most things in everyday life can be dangerous. Do you never use and iron or an oven or keep medicines in your house? You could just as easily be distracted by the doorbell when using those things, but naturally you would take care that your child was in no danger first. As is the case with many other things - even a pond.

This discussion reminded me of a friend of mine who was more worried that one of her children would get snatched by a stranger if they ran ahead of us, than the fact that they might get run over when she let them play in and out of the road (on the edge of a busy road at that!).

As I have said, I have 3 children who have all survived our pond. Although there is an obvious risk, a pond is not dangerous unless the children are not supervised as they should be in any case in the garden (many plants are poisonous). The benefits far outweigh the dangers IMO.

Kimberley

sticher wrote: »

Great post PEAKMA and some very well balanced comments.

Kimberley, I don't know if you have children or not but you just cannot keep children away from every possible perceived danger and expect them to grow up healthy and well balanced.

Most things in everyday life can be dangerous. Do you never use and iron or an oven or keep medicines in your house? You could just as easily be distracted by the doorbell when using those things, but naturally you would take care that your child was in no danger first. As is the case with many other things - even a pond.

This discussion reminded me of a friend of mine who was more worried that one of her children would get snatched by a stranger if they ran ahead of us, than the fact that they might get run over when she let them play in and out of the road (on the edge of a busy road at that!).

As I have said, I have 3 children who have all survived our pond. Although there is an obvious risk, a pond is not dangerous unless the children are not supervised as they should be in any case in the garden (many plants are poisonous). The benefits far outweigh the dangers IMO.

I also have three children and no way would i have a pond, thats me and i respect your opinion, i'm just saying that if a child drowns in it then you havn't the right to grumble

seven-day-weekend

rovers wrote: »

Hadn't thought of a fence, it's in a raised rockery at the end of the garden so a fence would be a pretty good option. Thanks for that!
And by the way my husband wants them to experience the nature it brings, I didn't say he wouldn't cover the pond .

Yes, have a fence. Our son could not get in where the pond was when we had ours, but we were all still able to go up the garden together and watch the wildlife.

Wildlife in the middle of a city is wonderful.

And, just FYI, it is a fact that because of pesticides et al used in the country, the 'Common' British Frog would no longer be common if it were not for garden ponds. They really do provide a habitat that is dying out.

I'm sure your children will be fine with a fence.

To those who don't think so, it's only the same as if there were a fence between your garden and your neighbours'. You wouldn't expect them not to have a pond because you had children, and you also would not expect your children to go over the fence!!